Valerie Plame’s Modern Odyssey (and Cautionary Tale) of Speaking Truth to Power
Release Date: 11/01/2023
Living A Life In Full
a documentary film exposing a significant bribery scandal within the global oil industry, focusing on the Unaoil company and the Ahsani family. It highlights the collaborative efforts of an anonymous whistleblower, investigative reporter Nick McKenzie, prosecutor Tom Martin, and anti-corruption activist Alexandra Wrage to reveal the extent of the crimes. The film positions bribery not as a victimless offense but as a harmful practice with far-reaching consequences, emphasizing its connection to other illicit activities and its detrimental impact on democracy. This film is...
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As one third of the legendary rap group Run-DMC, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels—aka Legendary MC, The Devastating Mic Controller, and the King of Rock—had it all: talent, money, fame, prestige. While hitting #1 on the Billboard charts was exhilarating, the group’s success soon became overwhelming. A creative who enjoyed being at home alone or with his family, DMC turned to alcohol to numb himself, a retreat that became an addiction. For years, he went through the motions. But when intoxication could no longer keep the pain at bay, he plunged into severe depression and became...
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I know that many listeners of my podcast, , are athletes, and many of them are runners – from 5ks to ultras and everything else in between. I also know that a lot of my audience members are travelers – local, global, adventure – you name it. Imagine if those interests overlapped like a Vinn Diagram where that confluence would be running a marathon, on each continent, in 7 days. Impossible? Well, no. But how would you even manage the logistics of such a challenge? That’s where Dr. David Kelly, MD, comes in. David is the Founder and Race Director of , an event in which participants...
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What if I told you that the traits you need to get ahead are the exact opposite of what you’ve been told most of your life? What if instead, I told you that in order to be successful you need to be Weird, Selfish, Shameless, Obsessed, Nosy, Manipulative, Brutal, Reckless, and Bossy? Well, that’s what former Google leader and top career coach, Jenny Wood recommends. Jenny counters conventional wisdom about achieving your goals, and she gives us permission to ditch our fear and chase after what we want - unapologetically. But to do so, takes courage – what Jenny calls, Wild...
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Imagine logging 50,000 miles of solo sailing adventures, including a non-stop circumnavigation of the globe, and a 7800 km paddling journey across Canada from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Or, maybe you’re more interested in entrepreneurship and making an impact in the lives of others using technology and artificial intelligence? Or, perhaps you have a desire to be an author? If so, you’re in luck, because in this episode I’m talking with a person who has done all that, and more, the remarkable polymath, Bert terHart. Bert’s certainly living his life in full, so much so it...
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Are you an ambitious industrious worker and a high achiever who always delivers, but you feel stuck or unseen, and you struggle to move up in your career? Or maybe it’s your peers who seem to get all the recognition and advance, while you're wondering why you’re being left behind. And that is where can lend a hand. Lorraine is an award-winning global keynote speaker and an instructor for Stanford University’s Continuing Studies Program and LinkedIn Learning, and she is the author of the bestselling new book, it’s also one of the Through her role as a founding...
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Dean Karnazes is a force of nature and an inspiration. He’s raced across the globe in support of various causes and modeled unparalleled perseverance and going beyond perceived limitations that serve to unlock an inner strength in others to also attain extraordinary results. He shares real-life examples that explore the topics of dealing with adversity, overcoming obstacles, setting and reaching lofty goals, the importance of teamwork - even in solo endeavors, and excelling in a competitive and complicated world. In this episode we discuss the essential ingredients necessary for...
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Sara Fix is a powerhouse. A mother of three, a small business owner, and a woman who’s navigated life’s highs and lows—all while completing 28 Ironman races across the globe, but her biggest challenge is being diagnosed with stage 4 neuroendocrine cancer, yet, she refuses to let her diagnosis define her. She continues to train, compete, and inspire others with her resilience and positive mindset. Sara's story is one of perseverance and advocacy. She emphasizes the importance of being one's own health advocate and encourages others to listen to their bodies and seek help when needed. Her...
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Prescription medications are fairly controversial these days – cost, insurance coverage, efficacy, and too often, medications are dosed incorrectly, cause toxic side effects or just don't work. But what if we could change how we prescribe drugs, what if there was a 3D printer that could design pills that adapt to an individual’s needs, and maybe print-on-demand the medications tailored to the patient? Or what if there was a real-world device that worked like the diagnostic Tricorder we imagined watching Star Trek? How about AI-infused antiviral discoveries and laboratory-level diagnostic...
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How many Mondays do you have left? Statistically, we all get about 4,000 Mondays in our lifetime, so if you're halfway through your life, you might have roughly 2,000 Mondays to go. The good news is that you are in charge of how you spend those days, the question is will you be toiling away at a job that you hate, or will you be creating a career that you love? Will you choose to scroll mindlessly for hours a day, or will you pursue hobbies and travel that light you up? Will you be dreading the inevitable end, or will you be living your life in full in a way that allows you to meet the Grim...
info_outlineOn July 6, 2003, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson's historic op-ed, "What I Didn't Find in Africa," appeared in The New York Times. A week later, Robert Novak revealed in his Washington Post column that Ambassador Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, was a CIA operative.
It ended her covert career and set off a political scandal that rocked the Bush/Cheney White House. The public disclosure of that secret information spurred a federal investigation and led to the trial and conviction of Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, and the Wilsons' civil suit against top officials of the Bush administration.
Valerie had worked to protect America’s national security and prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, in particular, nuclear weapons. All that ended, with the public disclosure.
Valerie has amazing resilience and skillsets. Today she is serves on a number of boards and is affiliated with the Santa Fe Institute, the trans-disciplinary scientific think tank created by two Nobel Prize winners to address the most compelling and complex problems in the world today.
Valerie has lectured throughout the country and internationally on cyber security issues, national security, nuclear proliferation, women in intelligence, and the NSA revelations, and authored The New York Times best-selling memoir Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House, which was also released as a major motion picture of the same name starring Sean Penn and Naomi Watts.
Along with Sarah Lovett, she’s written two fictional spy thrillers Blowback and Burned. She also served as the narrator and appeared as an expert in the film Countdown to Zero, a documentary on the threat of nuclear war. Valerie also heads up the TED-like annual conference, Spies, Lies, and Nukes in Santa Fe.
Valerie has lived her life in full in public, and private service and is an inspiration to each and every one of us.